Feed mechanism for phonographs and other machines.



APPLIGATICN FILED-JAN. 17, 1907. V

Patented 0011.5, 1909.

wiizas'a'es forward a distance of an inch for each invrrsn srnrns Ares orrion.

THOMAS A. EDISON, OF GRANGE, HEW JEREY, ASSIGNOR TO NEXV JERsiE Y'PATENT COMPANY, OF WEST ORAlll'G-E, NEW JERSEY, A: CORPORATION OF EW JERSEY.

FEED MECHANISM romnonosnsrns AND ornnn ivrnoninns.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed January 17, 1907.

Patented Oct. 5, 199$.

Serial No. 352,720.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS ALVA Enison, a citizen of the United States, residing at Llewellyn Park, Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanism for Phonographs and other hlachines, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to mechanical movements and imparting a progressive movement to the carriage which carries the reproducer or recorder of a phonograph, whereby the same is fed transversely direction of movement ofthe surface of the record and the stylus traces upon the same a spiral path. In devices of this character it has been the usual practice heretofore to provide a feed screw cut with. a very fine thread, such as one hundred threads to the mob, and to secure to the carriages spring arm provided with a nut for engagement with said screw thereby feeding the carriage of one one-hundredth revolution of the feed sometimes seemed advantascrew. It has geous to feed'the carriage at a slower rate of SJQQCl than this. but for mechanical reasons the use of a screw of finer pitchis not de-.

sirable.

carriage, such for example, as would be produced by a feed screw having two hundred threads to the inch and operating in .the usual way; and intact, if desired, this rate of feed may be obtained from a feed screw having less than one hundred threads to the inch. This result is accomplished by substituting for the feed nut ret erred to a worm gear carried by the carriage in engagement I being pivoted on an 1WD gears is the same, and a'feed screw of more particularly to means for with respect to the v may -he used, as has been According to the present novention a-zvery low rate of travel may be obtained-tor the:

gear, as,

By varying the relative sizes pinion, any desired rate of feed of the carriage may be ob-- tained. When the pitch diameter of these "forked and the prongs 21 are one hundred threads to the inch is used, the rate of feed ofthe carriage will be one twohundredths of an inch for each revolution of the feed screw.

With these ends in view my invention consists of the features hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a frontelevation of a phonograph provided with a feed. device constructed in accordance with my invention; F lg; 2, is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; F ig. 3, is a detail front view of the spur gears which are carried by the traveling carriage and the fixed rach which cooperates therewith; Fig.4 is a section on line l-l of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the rack and supporting the same to t e phonograph-body.

Corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals urns several Views. v j;

The phonograph shown is of the Edison type and comprises the usual body 1 and carriage 2 which slides upon the back rod 3. The mandrel tis mounted upon 'the main shaft 5 which is provided with a feedscrcw 6 whiclnas has been explained, is ordinarily made of a pitch of oneone-lnurdredtliiof an although screw of difi'crcnt indicated. In enthread of the screw'6 so gagcment with the to be rotated thereby, is a wormgear 7 JOUIIltllBCiI on a pin or stud S which is pendicular to the axis of the shaft. 5 and is held in a socket in the block 9 by a screw 10. The worm gear 7 is formed with an integral sleeve 11 to which is sccured'u spur gear or pinion l2. Meshing with tlic gcar 12 is a'second pinion 13 which is jourimlul on a pin 14; held in by a set screw 15. The pinion 123 meshes with the teeth of a rack 16 which is secured to the body of the phonograph in any suilperable manner, as, for example, by being sccured at each end to plates l7, 17 provided with clamping screws 18, which are aduptml to clamp upon certain projections with which phonographs of the type shown are provided.

The block 9 is supported by a llat spring arm 19 which is secured at its rear end by screws 20 to a portion of the trave ing carriage 2. The free end of the sprn r it i clamps for securing pitch a socketin the block i immora ty threaded, this idler can pro ressive lineal movement.

2. L A device f the cl pensed with.

fitted into the horizontal grooves 22 formed in the lateralfaces of the block 9, whereby the said block with the gears carried thereby may be readily. detached from the traveling carriage of the phonograph, thus allowing the substitution of a block provided with an ordinary feed nut for engagement with thescrew'G for feeding the carriage 2 in the usual manner.

It-is obvious that the gear l3\is merely' an idler for causing the'carriage to be fed in the proper direction with the screw shown. By using a screw .which is oppositely I of. course be disvWhile I have described my invention as applied to a phonograph for producing the desired feed of the traveling carriage, it

is obviously not limited tosuch use, and

may be applied to any mechanism whatever for converting'rotary movement into avingnow desci'ibedmyinventiomwhat I claim. as new and desire to secure by Letters'Patent, is as follows:

described comprlsing a feed screw and movable carriage in with said rotating means for imparting ,pro-

combination with a spring supported worm gear carried. by thecarriag in engagement with said feed screw, means rotating with the worm gear, and fixed means cooperating gressive movement to said carriage, substancombination with a flat spring secured at tially as set forth. 2. A device of the class described comprismg a feed screw and movablecarriage in one end to saidcarriage, a worm gear supported by the free end of said spring and engaging said feed screw, means rotating with the worm gear, and fixed means c'ooperating with said rotating means for imparting progresswe movement to said car- 'riage, substantially as set forth.

' 3. A deviceof the class described comprismg a feed screw, a rack, a movable carnage,

a member removably secured to the saidcarr age, a worm-wheel rotatable on said memher, a pinion driven from the Worm wheel and adapted to engage the said rack,v substantla'lly asset forth.

4. In a device of the class described, the

4 combination of a feed screw, a stationary rack, a movable carriage, a fiat spring secured at one end to said carriage, a member provided with a recess adapted to receive the free end of said spring, a worm gear engaging the said feed screw and a pinion driven from the said worm gear and cooperating with the said rack to impart move- ,ment to the carriage, substantially as set forth. 5. A device of the class described comprising a revoluble feed screw, a stationary rack, a movable carriage, a member attached to said carriage, a .member provided with a recess adapted to removably engage said first named member, and a gear train carried by said removable member meshingwith said feed screw and said rack to impart movement. to the carriage, substantially as set forth. 6. Ajdevice of the class described compris- 'ir ig a revoluble feed screw, a stationary rack, .21. movable'carriage, amember attached to said-carriage, said member being forked at its free end,.a block provided with recesses adapted to be removably engaged by the prongsof the fork to support-the block, and gear-means carried by said block meshing with said feed screw and said rack to impart movement to the carriage, substantially as set forth.

-7. In a device of the class described, a'

member formed with parallel grooves on its opposite sides adapted to slidably receive stationary holding members to removably support the grooved member, and a gear w THOS. A. EDISON.

\Vitnesses FRANK L. DYnn,

. ANNA R. KLEHM. 

